England selection questions vs India

England’s first Test squad of 2025 is due to be announced in the coming days, and after a 2024 which contained Brendon McCullum’s first two series defeats as head coach, there is plenty to ponder.

A one-off Test against Zimbabwe will serve as a prelude to ten Tests against India and Australia that will go a long way to defining the legacy of Ben Stokes as Test captain, as well as McCullum as coach. A major decision they face is whether to stick with the players they have invested plenty in up until now, or gamble on an injection of excitement from outside.

Batting doubts: Where do Crawley and Pope stand?

Zak Crawley will be the first name up for discussion. In many ways he is the poster boy of Bazball, riding out a testing start to lead England’s run charts in the 2023 Ashes and the India tour that followed, proof that if you give a player whose talent you believe in enough time, they will come good in the end. But since then he has failed to kick on, averaging less than 20 from nine Tests against West Indies, Pakistan, and New Zealand, never making it past the half-hour mark in the last of those engagements as Matt Henry worked him over. Two important half-centuries in Kent’s last two fixtures mark the flickers of a return to form.

Then there is Ollie Pope, who began 2024 with one of England’s great Test innings to turn around the Hyderabad Test and made centuries in England’s next two series, but still only averaged 33 in a feast-or-famine year. Handed the gloves after an injury to Jordan Cox, he was quietly crucial in England’s win over New Zealand, playing two fine supporting hands to Harry Brook in the first two Tests. But the sense was still that he was less sure of his spot at the end of the series than at the start, with Jacob Bethell contributing three second-innings fifties, including the second-fastest on debut in history. In the second Test, he was four runs shy of becoming England’s youngest Test centurion since Denis Compton.

Also read: Crawley and Pope, England's once prodigal sons, must show they're still the punts worth backing

With Jamie Smith ready to slot back in following paternity leave, England can pick at most two of those three for the India Tests, which may leave Crawley and Pope in a shootout against Zimbabwe while Bethell is at the IPL. Ben McKinney, deemed Test ready by Lions coach Graeme Swann, and Cox, primed for a Test debut before being struck down by injury, have had good starts to the County Championship season. If England deem a back-up batter necessary, one of those two may come into consideration.

Stokes' injury gives England balance issues

Ben Stokes’ hamstring provides another wrinkle. Having not played a game in any format in 2025, England may deem it wise not to rush him back against Zimbabwe, and his bowling workload is likely to be minimal in any case. Given that, England will need to make a call over how to balance the XI. Against Sri Lanka last summer, Chris Woakes batted at seven to allow England to pick five bowlers. But he hasn’t played since January, with an ankle complaint currently hampering him. Beyond him, there are few genuine seam all-rounders available, with Surrey’s Jordan Clark the pick of the county options. Sam Curran, disappointed not to be picked as Stokes’ replacement against Sri Lanka, is also at the IPL. England would back themselves to beat Zimbabwe with four bowlers, or with a fudged No.7, perhaps Gus Atkinson, who has a Test century. But given Stokes’ injury record, having a contingency plan in place if he does need to miss a Test against India and Australia is important. It would be a missed opportunity not to test one.

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There are a couple of spinning all-rounders available. Liam Dawson remains the premier all-rounder in the county game, with England men’s managing director Rob Key singing his praises before the season, while Rehan Ahmed struck a century after being promoted to open for Leicestershire - though his leg-spin has been barely used this season. Picking one of those two, however, would also bring with it a call on Shoaib Bashir, who has fallen off since an impressive debut series in India and a successful first outing at home against West Indies. He is averaging 152 for the season so far after three games on loan at Glamorgan in Division Two. Jacks Leach and Carson are two specialist spinners England could opt for if they choose to move on from Bashir. It is surely too soon for Farhan Ahmed, Rehan’s 17-year-old brother, even if the off-spinner has been one of the standout Division One bowlers this season.

Also read: Stone out, Carse in doubt: Which England fast bowlers will actually be available for India Tests?

And then there are the seamers. Atkinson is sure to lead the line, but with Brydon Carse, Olly Stone, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood all unavailable, it is less clear who will join him. Josh Tongue has proven his fitness and form after an injury hit 2024, and so will likely slot back in. Matt Potts has had a steady start to the season and rarely lets England down, even if the feeling persists that they don’t fully back him. Or they could look to the new. From the County Championship, Sam Cook may finally be rewarded for years of being the competition’s best bowler while Dan Worrall has now qualified after being named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year and has confirmed his willingness to be called up - though perhaps less enthusiastically than England might hope. If enthusiasm is a key ingredient, then Sonny Baker will jump to the head of the queue. What he lacks in career wickets he makes up for in eagerness and raw speed. With just three first-class games under his belt, ordinarily it would be much too soon. But for this England, nothing is out of the question.

Possible England Test squad v Zimbabwe: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Matt Potts, Sam Cook, Shoaib Bashir, Jordan Cox.

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